NationStates Jolt Archive


Strange American Laws (No Flamebait Titles, Please)

Mazalandia
10-05-2005, 13:35
Note that unless stated, allthese are still the law
Extra stupid ones are bolded
http://www.legal-forms-kit.com/legal-jokes/dumb-laws.html

Alabama
It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.
It is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.
Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death.
It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street if you have a lantern attached to the front of your automobile.
You must have windshield wipers on your car.
Men may not spit in front of the opposite sex.

Alaska
Moose may not be viewed from an airplane.
It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.
It is considered an offense to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose.

Arizona
Hunting camels is prohibited.
There is a possible 25 years in prison for cutting down a cactus.
When being attacked by a criminal or burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person posseses.
You may not have more than two dildos in a house.
It is illegal for men and women over the age of 18 to have less than one missing tooth visible when smiling.

Arkansas
A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month.
Oral sex is considered to be sodomy.

California
Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.
No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour.
Many animals are illegal to own as pets, including snails, sloths, and elephants.
Nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool.
It is illegal for a man to beat his wife with a strap wider than 2 inches without her consent.
It is illegal to cry on the witness stand.
Molesting butterflies can result in a $500 fine.
It is illegal for a secretary to be alone in a room with her boss.
One may not carry a lunch down the street between 11 and 1 o'clock.
Persons classified as "ugly" may not walk down any street.
It is illegal to pile horse manure more than six feet high on a street corner.
Giving or receiving oral sex is prohibited.

Colorado
Car dealers may not show cars on a Sunday.
It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence.

Connecticut
In order for a pickle to officially be considered a pickle, it must bounce.
It is illegal to dispose of used razor blades.
You may not educate dogs.

Delaware
It is illegal to fly over any body of water, unless one is carrying sufficient supplies of food and drink.

Florida
If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.
When having sex, only the missionary position is legal.
You may not fart in a public place after 6 P.M. on Thursdays.
It is considered an offense to shower naked.
You are not allowed to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups and/or saucers.
Oral sex is illegal.

Georgia
It is illegal to use profanity in front of a dead body which lies in a funeral home or in a coroners office.
Signs are required to be written in English.
Against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.
One man may not be on another man's back.
It is illegal for a chicken to cross the road.
Though it is illegal to spit from a car or bus, citizens may spit from a truck.

Hawaii
Coins are not allowed to be placed in one's ears.

Idaho
Illegal for a man to give his sweetheart a box of candy weighing less than fifty pounds.
You may not fish on a camel's back.
Riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime.
If a police officer approaches a vehicle and suspects that the occupants are engaging in sex, he must either honk, or flash his lights and wait for three minutes before approaching the car.

Illinois
You may be convicted of a Class 4 felony offense, punishable by up to three years in state prison, for the crime of "eavesdropping" on your own conversation.
Law forbids eating in a place that is on fire.
It is illegal to give a dog whiskey.
It is considered an offense to attempt to have sex with one's dog.

Indiana
A man over the age of 18 may be arrested for statutory rape if the passenger in his car is not wearing her socks and shoes, and is under the age of 17.
It is illegal for a liquor store to sell cold soft drinks.
Liquor stores may not sell milk.
No one may catch a fish with his bare hands.
Men are prohibited from standing in a bar.
You are not allowed to carry a cocktail from the bar to a table. The waiter or waitress has to do it.
Drinks on the house are illegal.
It is illegal for a man to be sexually aroused in public.
Within four hours of eating garlic, a person may not enter a movie house, theater, or ride a public streetcar.
It is illegal for barbers to threaten to cut off kid's ears.

Iowa
Kisses may last for no more than five minutes.
One-armed piano players must perform for free.
A man with a mustache may never kiss a woman in public.
It is a violation of the law to sell or distribute drugs or narcotics without having first obtained the appropriate Iowa drug tax stamp.

Kansas
Rabbits may not be shot from motorboats.
No one may catch fish with his bare hands.
The state game rule prohibits the use of mules to hunt ducks.
If two trains meet on the same track, neither shall proceed until the other has passed.

Kentucky
It is illegal to fish with a bow and arrow in Kentucky.
It's illegal to fish in the Ohio River in Kentucky without an Indiana Fishing License.
All bees entering Kentucky shall be accompanied by certificates of health, stating that the apiary from which the bees came was free from contagious or infectious disease.
By law, anyone who has been drinking is "sober" until he or she "cannot hold onto the ground."

Louisiana
It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol.
You may not tie an alligator to a fire hydrant.

Maine
You may not step out of a plane in flight.
Shoelaces must be tied while walking down the street.

Maryland
It's illegal to take a lion to the movies.
You may not curse inside the city limits.
You can not have a antenna exposed outside of your house yet you can have a 25' satellite dish.
Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited.

Massachusetts
It's illegal to keep a mule on the second floor of a building not in a city unless there are 2 exits.
It's illegal to sell fewer than 24 ducklings at a time before May 1, or to sell rabbits, chicks, or ducklings that have been painted a different color.
No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car.
Children may smoke, but they may not purchase cigarettes.
Affiliation with the Communist party is illegal.
It is illegal to frighten a pigeon.
Peeping in the windows of automobiles is forbidden.
Michigan
A woman isn't allowed to cut her own hair without her husband's permission.
It is legal for a robber to file a law suit, if he or she got hurt in your house.
You may not swear in front of women and children in the state of Michigan.
Any person over the age of 12 may have a license for a handgun as long as he/she has not been convicted of a felony.
Smoking while in bed is illegal.

Minnesota
All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts.
Oral sex is prohibited.
Hamburgers may not be eaten on Sundays.

Mississippi
Unnatural intercourse, if both parties voluntarily participate, results in a maximum sentence of 10 years and $10,000.
It is illegal for a male to be sexually aroused in public.
It is illegal to drive around the town square more than 100 times in a single session.
Missouri
Hard objects may not be thrown by hand.
Minors can buy rolling paper and tobacco but not lighters.
Four women may not rent an apartment together.

Montana
It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail.
It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone.
Balls may not be thrown within the city limits.

Nebraska
If a child burps during church, his parent may be arrested.
It is illegal to go whale fishing.
Barbers are forbidden from eating onions between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M.

Nevada
It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway.
A man is forbidden from buying drinks for more than three people other than himself at any one period during the day.

New Hampshire
You cannot sell the clothes you are wearing to pay off a gambling debt.
If a person is caught raking the beaches, picking up litter, hauling away trash, building a bench for the park, or many other kind things without a permit, he/she may be fined $150 for ''maintaining the national forest without a permit''.

New Jersey
You cannot pump your own gas. All gas stations are full service and full service only.
On a highway you can not park under a bridge.
It is against the law to "frown" at a police officer.
If you have been convicted of driving while intoxicated, you may never again apply for personalized license plates.
It is illegal to offer whiskey or cigarettes to animals at the local zoo.
Raw hamburger may not be sold.

New Mexico
State officials ordered 400 words of "sexually explicit material" to be cut from Romeo and Juliet.
It's forbidden for a female to appear unshaven in public.

New York
It is against the law to throw a ball at someone's head for fun.
The penalty for jumping off a building is death.
A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket.
While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door.
Slippers are not to be worn after 10:00 P.M.
During a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks.
You may not smoke within 100 feet of the entrance to a public building.
Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.
You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand
It is illegal for a father to call his son a "faggot" or "queer" in an effort to curb "girlie behavior."

North Carolina
Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.
If a man and a woman who aren't married go to a hotel/motel and register themselves as married then, according to state law, they are legally married.
All couples staying overnight in a hotel must have a room with double beds that are at least two feet apart. Making love in the space between the beds is strictly forbidden.
It is illegal to have sex in a churchyard.
A marriage can be declared void if either of the two persons is physically impotent.
Fights between cats and dogs are prohibited.
You may not ride a bicycle without having both your hands on the handle bars.
It is against the law to rollerblade on a state highway.

North Dakota
Beer and pretzels can't be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
It is legal to shoot an Indian on horseback, provided you are in a covered wagon.

Ohio
It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday.
It is illegal to get a fish drunk.
The Ohio driver's education manual states that you must honk the horn whenever you pass another car.
Breast feeding is not allowed in public.
It is illegal for more than five women to live in a house.
Owners of tigers must notify authorities within one hour if the tiger escapes.
No one may be arrested on Sunday or on the Fourth of July.
It's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
Items left on a tree lawn become city property. A young man was fined for removing an item from a tree lawn even though he had the owner's permission.
You cannot eat a doughnut and walk backwards on a city street.
It is against the law to roller skate without notifying the police.
A policeman may bite a dog to quiet him.
Throwing a snake at anyone is illegal.
Riding on the roof of a taxi cab is not allowed.
You may not run out of gas.

Oklahoma
Violators can be fined, arrested or jailed for making ugly faces at a dog.
Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
Anyone arrested for soliciting a hooker must have their name and picture shown on television.
It's statutory rape for a man over 18 to have sex with a female under the age of 18, provided she's a virgin. If she's not a virgin, it is okay, but the said person must be over 16. If both parties are under 18, then the law does not apply.
Tattoos are banned.
It is illegal to wear your boots to bed.
It is illegal to have sex before you are married.
Fish may not be contained in fishbowls while on a public bus.
Tissues are not to be found in the back of one's car.
If you wear New York Jets clothing, you may be put in jail.
Molesting an automobile is illegal.
Women may not gamble in the nude, in lingerie, or while wearing a towel.

Oregon
It is illegal to whisper "dirty" things in your lover's ear during sex.
It is illegal to buy or sell marijuana, but it is legal to smoke it on your own property.
You may not pump your own gas in service stations.
Canned corn is not to be used as bait for fishing.
It's against the law for a wedding ceremony to be performed at a skating rink.
People may not whistle underwater.
Ministers are forbidden from eating garlic or onions before delivering a sermon.
One may not box with a kangaroo.
It is against the law for animals to have sex in the city limits.
No more than two people may share a single drink.

Pennsylvania
It is illegal to have over 16 women live in a house together because that constitutes a brothel. However up to 120 men can live together, without breaking the law.
You may not sing in the bathtub.
Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents.
Ministers are forbidden from performing marriages when either the bride or groom is drunk.
Motorized vehicles are not to be sold on Sundays.
You may not catch a fish with your hands.
You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth.
Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish.
Though you do not need a fishing license to fish on your own land, but a hunting license is required to hunt on your own land.
All fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires.
No one is allowed to sleep on a refrigerator.

Rhode Island
Professional sports, except ice polo and hockey, must obtain a license to play games on Sunday.
It is considered an offense to throw pickle juice on a trolley.
You may not sell toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday.

South Carolina
It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide.
It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.
It is illegal to give or receive oral sex in South Carolina.
It is illegal to sell any alcoholic beverages on Sunday, unless you own a private club.
Horses may not be kept in bathtubs.
By law, if a man promises to marry an unmarried woman, the marriage must take place.

South Dakota
It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory.
Movies that show police officers being struck, beaten, or treated in an offensive manner are forbidden.
If there are more than 5 Native Americans on your property you may shoot them.

Tennessee
You can't shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.
It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.
"Crimes against nature" are prohibited.
Driving is not to be done while asleep.
The age of consent is 16, but 12 if the girl is a virgin.
It is legal to gather and consume road kill
It is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.
It's illegal for frogs to croak after 11 PM.

Texas
When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has gone.
It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
You can be legally married by publicly introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times.
It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.
It is illegal to milk another person's cow.

Utah
It is against the law to fish from horseback.
It is illegal not to drink milk.
It is illegal to detonate any nuclear weapon. You can have them, but you just can't detonate them.
Birds have the right of way on all highways.
It's legal for restaurants to serve wine with meals, but only if you ask for the wine list.
It is considered an offense to hunt whales.
Throwing snowballs will result in a $50 fine.

Vermont
Whistling underwater is illegal
At one time it was illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole.
Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

Virginia
You cannot sell lettuce on Sunday, but you can sell beer, wine etc.
It is illegal to spit on sidewalk.
If one is not married, it is illegal for him to have sexual relations.
Driving while not wearing shoes is prohibited.
It is illegal to tickle women.

Washington
It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.
People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.
It is illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
When two trains come to a crossing, neither shall go until the other has passed.

West Virginia
It is legal for a male to have sex with an animal as long as it does not exceed 40 lbs.
Doctors and dentists may not place a woman under anesthesia unless a third person is present.
Road Kill may be taken home for supper.
Whistling underwater is prohibited.

Wisconsin
At one time, margarine was illegal.
While all cheese making requires a license, Limburger cheese making requires a master cheese maker's license.
It is illegal to kiss on a train.
It is illegal to wake a fireman when he is asleep.

Wyoming
It is illegal for women to stand within five feet of a bar while drinking.
You may not take a picture of a rabbit during the month of June.
Cromotar
10-05-2005, 13:38
I like this one from Florida:

"Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal."

Ouch!
31
10-05-2005, 13:39
You took the time to type this out? Old news buddy, we have had countless news programs, internet sites, tv shows, books and magazine articles that talk about old, outdated and ignored laws that are on the books in the US.
Yellow Snow in Winter
10-05-2005, 13:39
Wow, maybe the link or the bold ones would have been enough.
Eh-oh
10-05-2005, 13:41
it says in another site somewhere that there is a place in pennsylvania where it is illegal to molest a butterfly. completely true
Czardas
10-05-2005, 13:44
In Mississippi once a law had three parts:

1) That a new jail would be built;
2) That the new jail would be built out of the material of the old jail;
3) That the old jail be used until the new jail is completed.

In Tennessee:

To become a judge, one does not have to be a religious person as long as one acknowledges the existence of a Supreme Being.

Add those to your list.
Ermarian
10-05-2005, 13:46
Moose may not be viewed from an airplane.
It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.
It is considered an offense to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose.

Anyone else suddenly have a hunch that the precedents for these laws were set all at the same time? :p
Ermarian
10-05-2005, 13:48
In Tennessee:

To become a judge, one does not have to be a religious person as long as one acknowledges the existence of a Supreme Being.

Add those to your list.

Any guesses on how long it will be until this is adopted as a federal law?

It is illegal for a chicken to cross the road.

Well FINALLY!! This should put a stop to those dumb jokes.
Czardas
10-05-2005, 13:48
Anyone else suddenly have a hunch that the precedents for these laws were set all at the same time? :pYes. I have my reasons...
Mazalandia
10-05-2005, 13:48
Wow, maybe the link or the bold ones would have been enough.

To paraphrase pringles once you type you can't stop.
I like the Utah one the best though, Big Red One. I'm going to move there and get a nuke. :D
Seriously though, does any other country have any laws like these. Not trying to be condensing, honest question
Czardas
10-05-2005, 13:49
To paraphrase pringles once you type you can't stop.
I like the Utah one the best though, Big Red One. I'm going to move there and get a nuke. :D
Seriously though, does any other country have any laws like these. Not trying to be condensing, honest questionNot that I know of. Back on Ganymede it was illegal to be a human.
NERVUN
10-05-2005, 13:51
Um, so? In many cases those laws are from times when certian behavores where permissable (wife beating for example) or conditions exsisted that mandated them (horse apples) and the legislatures never got around to changing them, having better things to do... er... somewhat. Some actually make sense (The Nevada and Arizona camel laws for example) if you knew that in Arizona there are herds of camels and Nevada has a famous camel race. Some came into being because someone was half asleep when the law was drafted. Most of course are never enforced by even the most rabbid DA.

What scares me is what actions prompted some of thoses laws in the first place.
Mazalandia
10-05-2005, 13:51
Not that I know of. Back on Ganymede it was illegal to be a human.

Don't blame them
Humans are nasty, violent creatures that usually smell bad
Sarzonia
10-05-2005, 13:54
There are a lot of these arcane or downright stupid laws on the books, as you can tell. Most of them aren't enforced.
The Mindset
10-05-2005, 13:56
Considering American law is effectively a "rush job" compared to the older European nations, I'm not suprised that there's so many dumb laws, especially under the semi-authority states have over their own individual laws.
Mazalandia
10-05-2005, 13:59
Found some international laws
Including Australia??!!
NOOOOOO :headbang:
http://www.dumblaws.com/laws.php?site=laws
Australian are not at least as bad
http://www.dumblaws.com/laws.php?site=laws&cid=9
Taerkasten
10-05-2005, 14:01
To paraphrase pringles once you type you can't stop.
I like the Utah one the best though, Big Red One. I'm going to move there and get a nuke. :D
Seriously though, does any other country have any laws like these. Not trying to be condensing, honest question

I think Britain has a few weird laws. The most popular one being that it is legal to shoot a Welshman with a longbow in a certain place at a certain time of day. I'll have to find the specifics of that one again...

Ah, it was at the link posted above:

You can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight.
The Mindset
10-05-2005, 14:07
I find it amusing that the person (presumably American) who added this law finds it highly dumb:

"Trespassing on someone else's land is legal."

This refers mostly to farmland, which is effectively classes as a public space if you follow the "Country Code."
The Eagle of Darkness
10-05-2005, 14:10
Yep, Britain has some too. We're all lawbreakers for not doing our mandatory two hours of archery practice per week, for example.

And, yes, in the city of Chester, you may shoot a Welshman legally, provided it's done with a bow and arrow, inside the city walls, and after midnight.

And again, York, it's legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow -- except on Sundays.

And then there's the law against impersonating Chelsea pensioners... the one about defacing the currency (oops, done that)... sticking a postage stamp on upside down is treason, as is interfering with the mail... and, of course, a license is required to keep a lunatic.

I love my country.

[Wanders off to find a license to keep himself, then buy a longbow, practise with it, and find some Scotsmen and Welshmen to shoot]
Dominant Redheads
10-05-2005, 14:11
UK Laws

You may not fish on Sundays for salmon.
It is illegal to be a drunk in possession of a cow.
If someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your commode, you must let them enter.
With the exception of carrots, most goods may not be sold on Sunday.
All English males over the age 14 are to carry out 2 or so hours of longbow practice a week supervised by the local clergy.
London Hackney Carriages (taxis/cabs) must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats. (Repealed 1976)
The severest Penaltys will be suffered by any commoner who doth permit his animal to have carnal knowledge of a pet of the Royal House (enacted by George I)
It is illegal to be drunk on Licensed Premises (in a pub or bar).
It is illegal for two adult men to have sex in the same house as a third person.

Chester Laws
You can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight.

Hereford Laws
You may not shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close.

Liverpool Laws
It is illegal for a woman to be topless in public except as a clerk in a tropical fish store.

London Laws
Companies may vote in local elections.
No cows may be driven down the roadway between 10 AM and 7 PM unless there is prior approval from the Commissioner of Police.



All countries have some dumb laws.

Dumb Site (http://www.dumblaws.com/laws.php?sid=)
Pascalini
10-05-2005, 14:17
Every country has stupid laws...

England: "All English males over the age 14 are to carry out 2 or so hours of longbow practice a week supervised by the local clergy." and "It is illegal to be a drunk in possession of a cow."

Finland (and this one is pretty new): "Taxi drivers must pay royalties if they play music in their cars for paying customers."

International list: http://www.dumblaws.com/laws.php?site=laws
The Eagle of Darkness
10-05-2005, 14:22
Oh, and one of the Pennsylvania ones (I believe it was) actually makes sense. The one that says dynamite may not be used for fishing? Dynamite Fishing is quite a common technique in some areas. Drop a stick into the lake, boom, the shockwave knocks all the fish unconscious, and you just wander through and pick them up. Wreaks havoc on the environment, which is why it's prohibited in most places.

And most of the ones limiting the number of women in one place are to prevent brothels. Doesn't make them less silly, but at least it makes some sort of sense.

[Wanders off muttering about bees]
Mazalandia
10-05-2005, 14:43
Thank crap no-one realised I said condensing instead of condescending.
until now when I posted it
Damn IT :headbang:
Bakamongue
10-05-2005, 14:45
All countries have some dumb laws.Actually, I suspect that a lot of the 'dumb' laws split into three catagories:
More general laws that (e.g. ones about definitions of nudity) that someone has extrapolated beyond the original intention for humorous effect (e.g. "you may not shower nude"),
Laws for once-everyday situations (e.g. provision/proof of possession of sufficient fodder for the horse that draws your horse-drawn cab) that have become anachronistic and irrelevant by today's standards (i.e. since the internal cumbustion engine changed the vehicle of choice for the London cabbie),
Punitive laws to deal with particular situations (like George I getting upset at a 'common' pet copulating with one from his own household) that were effectively frivolous in the first place.

Just about every example I saw throughout all those lists (the massive US one and the later ones for the UK) fall into one (or mroe) of those definitions.

Salt on a railway? It corrodes the rails. Maybe only a little, but it could be construed as damage to the transport infrastructure and thus a serious offence.

Viewing moose from airplanes? There were crashes attributed to pilots not paying attention to the landscape they were flying into due to moose-spotting.

Elephants at parking meters? May have easily been brought in (or adjuged as included in existing laws) due to a travelling circus taking liberties.

Having to inform police that you are going to roll-skate? Probably from some loose interpretation of vehicles and the rules governing notification for use of unregistered ones.

Censoring 'Romeo & Juliet'? Maybe a groundswell of anti-smut fervour taken too far by a legislature with minds narrower than their artistic appreciation is wide (or lobbied by those under that disability) or else the book 'innocently' contains some words intended to be banned from contemporary materials and got caught up in the fuss.

No body part but the mouth must be used to catch fish? A law against the common 'trout tickling' technique for poaching which specifically allows wildlife to catch fish their natural way (I assume there's no bears in Pennsylvania?).

You can't detonate Nuclear weapons but you may possess them? Legislation against nuclear testing but which allows the military to house ICBMs there (though I suspect the military doesn't need such allowances).
New Eire Land
10-05-2005, 14:49
New Jersey
You cannot pump your own gas. All gas stations are full service and full service only.

Dumb law?

Let's see,
-every state that has allowed self-serve has seen an increase in gas prices
-I don't smell like gas when I get home
-I can stay warm and comfortable getting gas in the winter
-I can stay dry even while getting gas in a hurricane or a nor-easter
-I can stay cool in 110F weather while getting gas
-I don't have to worry about some dip screwing up the system right before I get gas
-I don't have to help pay for the insurance the station owner needs to pay for all the stupid mistakes that people will make
-I can get gas and then pay for the gas that I got instead of having to guess how much my car will take and then go back to get the change
-I don't have to pump my own gas in whatever the weather is and then pay for the privilage.

New Jersey may have stupid laws (lived here all my life, and the real stupid ones are not there), but this is not one of them.
Shadowstorm Imperium
10-05-2005, 14:52
One can find all the dumb laws in America and the rest of the world here: http://www.dumblaws.com
Lazdixi
10-05-2005, 15:11
My favorite is a local one. In Chico, California, it's illegal to detonate a nuclear device and has the consequence of a $50 fine.
Mazalandia
10-05-2005, 15:39
New Jersey
You cannot pump your own gas. All gas stations are full service and full service only.

Dumb law?

Let's see,
-every state that has allowed self-serve has seen an increase in gas prices
-I don't smell like gas when I get home
-I can stay warm and comfortable getting gas in the winter
-I can stay dry even while getting gas in a hurricane or a nor-easter
-I can stay cool in 110F weather while getting gas
-I don't have to worry about some dip screwing up the system right before I get gas
-I don't have to help pay for the insurance the station owner needs to pay for all the stupid mistakes that people will make
-I can get gas and then pay for the gas that I got instead of having to guess how much my car will take and then go back to get the change
-I don't have to pump my own gas in whatever the weather is and then pay for the privilage.

New Jersey may have stupid laws (lived here all my life, and the real stupid ones are not there), but this is not one of them.

It is a dumb law, because they made it law. In Australia I have seen one service station where you do not to it yourself and I have lived in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and half a dozen others. That's the equilavent of Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C.
What is stupid is that I can not, by law, fill my own car up with fuel in NJ.

As to answer some of your points
Why has every state that has allowed self-serve has seen an increase in gas prices? It's incomphensible.
I don't smell like petrol when I get home
We don't have to worry about some dip screwing up the system right before I get petrol either
We don't have to help pay for the insurance the station owner needs to pay for all the stupid mistakes that people will make either
-I can get gas and then pay for the gas that I got instead of having to guess how much my car will take and then go back to get the change
How does that work? Don't you fill your car then pay and get your change at the same time?
I don't have to pump my own gas in whatever the weather is and then pay for the privilage.
Perhaps, but that's in America. Australia you pay for the privledge of getting it filled for you. Besides, you have to get out of car at some stage so I don't see the problem
New Eire Land
10-05-2005, 17:03
It is a dumb law, because they made it law. In Australia I have seen one service station where you do not to it yourself and I have lived in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and half a dozen others. That's the equilavent of Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C.
What is stupid is that I can not, by law, fill my own car up with fuel in NJ.

As to answer some of your points
Why has every state that has allowed self-serve has seen an increase in gas prices? It's incomphensible.

Actually, since I know someone who used to manage their own station, I know that it is not incomprehensible. One word: insurance for dumb people.


I don't smell like petrol when I get home


When I am out of NJ and fill up, I get back into my car and smell like I bathed in the stuff.


We don't have to worry about some dip screwing up the system right before I get petrol either
We don't have to help pay for the insurance the station owner needs to pay for all the stupid mistakes that people will make either


Yes, you do. It is included in the price.


-I can get gas and then pay for the gas that I got instead of having to guess how much my car will take and then go back to get the change
How does that work? Don't you fill your car then pay and get your change at the same time?


Depends on the station. Many that I have gone to require the money up front. Then you fill.


I don't have to pump my own gas in whatever the weather is and then pay for the privilage.
Perhaps, but that's in America. Australia you pay for the privledge of getting it filled for you. Besides, you have to get out of car at some stage so I don't see the problem

The problem is being soaking wet with my pants crawling up my rear near the middle of a 3 hour car ride. I have had this wonderful pleasure in Pensy.
Bakamongue
10-05-2005, 17:55
When I am out of NJ and fill up, I get back into my car and smell like I bathed in the stuff.You sure you're doing it right? ;)

Depends on the station. Many that I have gone to require the money up front. Then you fill.Over here, right-pond on Airstrip 1, we rarely have to do that. Occasionally garages (in higher crime areas?) have "Operator will not avtivate pump without payment after 8PM" signs, but even then I've (unknowingly) gotten away with filling up and paying (probably by not looking too dodgy...)

The problem is being soaking wet with my pants crawling up my rear near the middle of a 3 hour car ride. I have had this wonderful pleasure in Pensy.Again, over here, just about every petrol station you can find (exceptions being the really small ones in remote areas, that would be termed 'Mom & Pop Gas Stations' in the US, but these are very rare) has a canopy over them... And there's not much difference between the different companies (apart from corporate-styled decoration/facias) so I suspect it's either some company with a monopoy on the construction of stations or government regulations of some kind... Keeps you dry, though (unless the rain's horizontal, admitedly... ;))
Armed Bookworms
10-05-2005, 18:27
Interesting, anyone who Larps as a mage or witch in Canada is breaking the law.

http://www.dumblaws.com/laws.php?site=laws&cid=31
New Eire Land
10-05-2005, 19:31
You sure you're doing it right? ;)

Over here, right-pond on Airstrip 1, we rarely have to do that. Occasionally garages (in higher crime areas?) have "Operator will not avtivate pump without payment after 8PM" signs, but even then I've (unknowingly) gotten away with filling up and paying (probably by not looking too dodgy...)

Again, over here, just about every petrol station you can find (exceptions being the really small ones in remote areas, that would be termed 'Mom & Pop Gas Stations' in the US, but these are very rare) has a canopy over them... And there's not much difference between the different companies (apart from corporate-styled decoration/facias) so I suspect it's either some company with a monopoy on the construction of stations or government regulations of some kind... Keeps you dry, though (unless the rain's horizontal, admitedly... ;))

Thanks, but I think I am doing it right. :) It's sort of a right-of-passage for born-bred Jersians to pump their own gas outside the state for the first time. We used to just shoot the one's who did it wrong, but then we were taken over by Big City People (New York and Philly) and they outlawed that!

I think that I have been at only two gas stations in my entire 39 years that had canopies! I guess it's there way of keeping the lines down! ;)
Carnivorous Lickers
10-05-2005, 19:41
I think its time for some of these laws to be enforced... If you think about them, they ALL arent ALL that stupid.
BerkylvaniaII
10-05-2005, 19:44
I believe there's one still on the books here in Missouri which states that, should your motor vehicle startle or otherwise upset a passing horse, you must stop and disassemble your vehicle to pacify the horse.